Agricultural News

Oklahoma Cattlemen Continue to Collect Funds for Wildfire Relief- and Start Process to Get Funds to Ranchers Impacted

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 06:37:09 CDT

Over two hundred ranchers gathered at the Harper County Fairgrounds in Buffalo on Monday to learn about their assistance options two weeks after wildfires burned hundreds of thousands of acres of rangeland- killing cattle, destroying or damaging fences and water facilities and burning all available forage and hay.

The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association sponsored the meeting- and officials from the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation all offered information about programs that can help with cash to help offset the loss of cows and calves and fences and forage.

Jeff Jaronek with the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation explained what the Foundation was doing in raising money that would be distributed to those who have lost livestock and infrastructure from the fires that started March 6th and have finally been contained. Jaronek told producers that funds were still coming in from individuals and groups wanting to help them- that $300,000 had been collected to date and that those funds would be distributed in an equiable manner to help fill in some of the gaps around federal assistance.

Jaronek talked with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays about the fund raising effort- and the plan that the Foundation had developed to take applications from ranchers impacted by the wildfires and to then distribute resources within ninety days from the event- setting a goal to have money out to producers by late May or early June.

Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear their full conversation about the Foundation and funds being raised to help those hurt by the wildfires.

There is an online application that ranchers can download to apply for help- deadline to apply is May first- click or tap here to access that application form.

If you would like to donate cash or in kind materials, click here for the OCA website- where there are links on the front page to donate for the wildfire relief fund.

Ron Hays talks with Jeff Jaronek of OCA about the Foundation work on wildfire relief.